I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My apologies for missing the highlights last week. January is a hectic month for me, so after work and family there hasn’t been much time left over. Because we missed last week, you’ll see a little more in this week’s highlights, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great finds we’ve come across in our internet travels.

FDA Halts Imports of Orange Juice: Is It Safe to Drink? - The FDA has halted all imports of orange juice after The Coca Cola Company, maker of Minute Maid and Simply Orange, notified that some Brazilian growers had sprayed their trees with a fungicide that is illegal in the U.S. The FDA is not issuing a recall citing no safety concerns over consumption at low levels, but they are now inspecting all imported juices.

A Specialists’ Debate on Autism Has Many Worried Observers - The standard reference manual for mental disorders is under revision, and many are worried that changes in the definition of autism, aspergers, and other disorders may limit or take away services available to those who currently qualify.

LEGO Petitioned to Stop Gender-Based Marketing - After LEGO introduced a girlified version of LEGOs for girls featuring taller, skinnier, more accessory-friendly characters, backlash ensues with a petition to end gender-based marketing. My girls happily play with the standard LEGOs, as I’m sure do many others. This is the last thing our girls need. Sign the petition, if you like, here. The petition has reached almost 50,000.

New Research:

Babies Learn to Talk by Reading Lips
Ever noticed your baby studying your mouth when you speak? New research suggests that babies’ attention focuses on the mouth between about 6-12 months as they turn their attention to speech development in order to learn how to shape their lips and form sounds. Around the age of 1, their gaze comes back to the eyes, unless they are learning a foreign language in which case they will continue to focus on the mouth. Fascinating!

Parabens Found in 99% of Breast Cancer Tumors
A study of breast cancer tissue samples taken from 40 women undergoing mastectomies between 2005 and 2008 in England found that 99% of the samples contained at least one paraben and 60% of samples contained five. The study does not draw conclusions about cause and effect but does highlight the need for further study.

Plasticizer (Phthalate) Increases Miscarriage Risk
In the first study to examine phthalate exposure and miscarriage in humans, scientists in Denmark found that women exposed near the time of conception to relatively common levels of a particular phthalate are more likely to experience early miscarriage compared to women with lower exposures. Only exposures around conception, and not in the prior month, were linked to miscarriage. Couples attempting to get pregnant between 1992 and 1994 contributed urine samples, and scientists tested samples taken shortly before ovulation for phthalate levels and after ovulation for confirmed pregnancies and losses. The samples were tested in 2009?? Regardless, further research is necessary to confirm the conclusions, but animal/rodent studies have shown similar associations.

Eating Mercury-Tainted Fish Affects Stress Hormones in Children
A new study of 100 children, aged 9 to 11, found that higher mercury levels in the children’s blood was significantly associated with lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is released in response to stress and is important for metabolism, immune responses, and blood pressure. Lower cortisol levels and responses can contribute to chronic stress. The children’s fish eating habits were monitored, and the fish eaters had almost three times higher the level of mercury of the non-fish eaters. Consider this guide to fish and mercury levels from the Natural Resources Defense Council for limiting your child’s mercury consumption.

Fantastic Finds:

Baby Sleep Positions from Howtobeadad.com – Too funny. Booby trap, H is for Hell, and Snow Angels are familiar territory in our home. How about you?

Friendly Fire from Momastery.com - I can’t get enough of Glennon Melton. She is one amazing woman, and I wish I could shout this message from the rooftops. Every woman should read this!

Welcome to “Weekly Highlights”, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week but also give us an avenue to share some of the other great reads we’ve come across in our internet travels.

Life’s Sweeter with Fewer Sugary Drinks- Major health organizations unite in a campaign to reduce the consumption of soda and other sugary drinks in an effort to reduce rates of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. Sugary drinks are the single largest source of calories in the American diet and account for half of all added sugars consumed.

Women Getting C-Sections Need Protection From Blood Clots- New advice for pregnant women getting a C-section included in new guidelines from the nation’s obstetricians suggest wearing compression devices on your legs during surgery to reduce the risk of blood clots. Similar devices are already used in other major operations, such as hip replacements.

New Research:

Toxic Chemical Remains in Dry-Cleaned Clothes
Researchers, led by a 15 year old high school student from Arlington, VA, found that perchloroethylene, a dry cleaning solvent that has been linked to cancer and neurological damage, stays in fabrics and that levels increased with repeat cleanings, particularly in wool. Squares of wool, silk, cotton, and polyester were sewn into the lining of seven identical men’s jackets and then cleaned from one to six times at various cleaners after which the samples were tested. The study raises important questions about how much perc is retained in clothing and then breathed in or absorbed through the skin.

Mom’s Stress is Linked to Baby’s Health
In one of the largest studies to date on the link between prenatal environment and health after birth, a recent study in Denmark concluded that life stress during pregnancy (versus emotional stress) was associated with an increased risk of serious infections in childhood. The study interviewed 60,000 mothers pre- and post-partum and followed their children for at least seven years.

Phthalate DEHP Found to Alter Important Memory System in Male Rats
Exposure to the phthalate DEHP changed brain development in young male rats when exposed during a critical development phase. The male rats formed fewer cells and nerve connections in a memory-related region of their brains. The same exposure did not affect females. This is the first research to connect phthalate exposure at a critical time of development with these effects and highlights the need for further study, particularly for the potential for human impacts.

We’d love your feedback! If there is anything you’d like us to add or change, we’d love to hear it! If there’s anything you see and think we should feature, please send it our way to purebebeblog@gmail.com. We hope your week is off to a great start!

Welcome to “Weekly Highlights”, a weekend post that will recap important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the week but also give us an avenue to share some of the other great reads we’ve come across in our internet travels. Happy weekend reading!

CDC Still Listening to Youth Vaccination Debate – For the first time, the CDC asks for public input over a new meningitis vaccine which has been approved for babies as young as 9 months. Nice to see one government agency listening to the people.

Cadmium Limits Coming – Cadmium limits coming in Canada. EU and 5 US states have recently moved to do the same.

New Research:

Furniture linked to PBDE (flame retardant) levels in pregnant women
A study of pregnant immigrants in California, where flammability standards are the strictest, found increased exposure to PBDEs in the U.S. relative to Mexico and evidence that the source of exposure is furniture in the home. For each year the women lived in the U.S., the level of PBDEs in their blood increased 4%. Higher levels were also found in the women who had 3 or more pieces of furniture in their homes.

A mother’s stress while she is pregnant can have a long-lasting effect on her children’s genes
A study of teens aged 10 to 19 years and their mothers involving a psychological study found that women abused during pregnancy were significantly more likely to have a child with dampened glucocorticoid-receptor gene activity, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity, depression, and auto-immune diseases. These genes relay signals from stress hormones in the blood in the regions of the brain that control behavior.

We’d love your feedback! What did you like? If there is anything you’d like us to add or change, we’d love to hear it! Have a lovely weekend! XOXO, Jasmine & Heather

Welcome to PureBebe!

PureBebe focuses on everything safe, healthy and pure for babies and young children. We conduct extensive research on baby topics and products. This site is about sharing that knowledge as well as the crying, laughing, and wincing that accompany being a parent.

We look forward to hearing from you – please leave us a comment to let us know what you think of our site!
-Heather & Jasmine